The lady in the booth keeps saying something, but the fact that she speaks extremely softly and that the words she utters might be English, but sound more like some Asian language doesn't help me understand what she's trying to tell me. I'm at the Thai border, I just got my exit stamp out of Malaysia, and I'm still very sleepy, having caught the bus from Penang to Hat Yai at 5am. A line of impatient-looking Chinese people forms behind me, and I lean down and put my ear through the tiny window so I can hear her desperate attempts better. "You go to polee stashawn in Nakhon, you ge' one mo' mon." I try to tell her that the 60-day visa I have should be sufficient for my travel needs in Thailand, and finally she ... read more

There are three things that define the Cameron Highlands more than anything else: tea plantations, strawberry farms, and a cooler climate than in the lowlands of Malaysia. The main activities here include sampling the highland teas, picking your own strawberries at one of the many farms, and hiking through the dense jungle. After checking into a hostel in Tanah Rata, the main town for travellers in the Highlands, I go to a food court for lunch. The Chinese stall I choose is operated by an elderly Chinese couple, both of which seem to be deaf-and-dumb. As I inspect the menu, the lady comes up to me, making eating gestures, thus asking what I want to eat. I point at hokkien mee goreng, and she gives me a thumbs-up and makes a drinking gesture, and I point ... read more

ye lazy bastard...... read more

more later...... read more

That was my first go at speaking Albanian. I tried to say 'Yes', and inevitably started speaking Spanish again, since the non-English foreign language programming in my brain always comes up with Spanish. I then proceeded to say 'jo', which I usually say when I want to say 'yes' in German, but then realized that it means 'no' in Albanian. So finally I managed to find the right word: 'Po'! Great success! During the ten days that I stayed in Albania, I had very good intentions, but ended up learning only maybe three more words/phrases: falum nderit - thank you; sa kushton - how much is it; pa mish - without meat. Of course it didn't help at all that the Albanian language is related to absolutely no other language, since it is presumably of Illyrian ... read more